The US government awards $400 billion a year in contracts to small business. In December, the Small Business Administration announced new rules to insure that 5% of those contracts would go to businesses owned by females. The problem? Out of 140 industries, only four are listed by the agency as those in which female-owned companies could be preferred for contracts. (A study found that women were underrepresented in a whopping 87% of all the industries where the government awards contracts; so the Women's Chamber Of Commerce sued in 2004.) And speaking of businesses run by women: We put our money where our mouths were and helped finance a Ugandan jewelry maker named Night Kituka via Kiva.org!

The Today Show had a segment on microlending this morning, and you know what? Not all credit is…
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Might Kituka requested a loan on January 14th, and as of today enough people have donated to raise $1,650, the amount she needs to increase her stock of supplies. We'll be keeping tabs and report back how she does when we know more.